I have always loved crafts. So when my family initially arrived in Gibsonia, Pa., I organized an informal night where people could come and share a particular skill they enjoyed and that others might want to know more about. We would meet in the “old garage out back,” which we later renovated for our present-day worship area at Grace RPC.

We met infrequently, and everyone enjoyed the time of fellowship even if the atmosphere was perhaps a bit dingy at the time. We learned how to make Ukrainian eggs, created button people, and gleaned tips on how to scrapbook; we even had a class introducing us to ballroom dancing.

But as life got busy and daily duties crowded people’s schedules, the skill night rested in the tomb of happy memory until one day, many years later, when I was talking with my daughter about some of her interests. One of the things that makes a mother’s heart skip “like rams…like lambs” (Ps. 114:6) is to discover that her child has similar, or perhaps even the same, interests.

My daughter said, “I would like to learn how to decorate cakes!” A problem dimmed my joy at hearing her say this: I had no idea how to decorate a cake. Well, that’s not entirely true. Every year I tried to make a rabbit cake for a family gathering. It was a tradition my mom started, and I wanted to carry it on. But my rabbit always looked like a dog that had lived on the streets and had crawled into our little gathering. It is no wonder the cake always came back home with me.

Learning that my child shared a similar desire to cake decorate, I set out to find where we might learn together. I started with craft stores, but that did not prove fruitful. Then the idea hit me: YouTube videos! That is where people learn a valuable skill today. But after viewing one or two, the idea didn’t stick. That is when it really hit me like a ton of proverbial icing bricks: skill night.

If I know people who can design Ukrainian eggs and make button people out of whole cloth, then I must know someone who can decorate a cake. This is what started the new and improved skill night. Once I had organized the cake-decorating class with my daughter’s help, we started to plan for monthly meetings so that we could learn new skills.

Since revamping skill night, the congregation has had the opportunity to learn the skill and imaginative eye it takes to paint with watercolors. We have been taught embroidery by a woman with not only skill but a love for the work. We recently had a man from the congregation teach us how to make baklava.

We do have fun during these times, but recently I discovered that these nights are not just about fun and fellowship. Some nights have been life changing. When I first started skill night, I had to beat the bushes. The skill birds were not coming out on their own. I had to encourage, which is something I like to do. But then people began approaching me. People want to share what the Lord has either gifted them to do or enabled them to learn. Who better to learn from than someone who is good at what they do and loves people enough to share this talent with them?

A man in the congregation approached me to teach a class on personal finance. He taught it years ago to single moms who needed solid counsel on how to handle their finances. He thought the class would be just as valuable to anyone else with a desire to learn money management. We scheduled him for a two-week class, and it was attended by a wide range of people. We had newly married couples, older couples, and everyone in between. As a result of this class, we had someone re-mortgage a home with the teacher’s help. Another attendee made significant changes to a retirement plan. I call that a successful skill night.

The fun, fellowship, and learning has been had by all. Michaela was one of our teachers. She enthusiastically came and taught us how to paint with water colors. “I really enjoyed the opportunity to teach watercolor painting and techniques at one of Grace RPC’s skill nights,” Michaela said. “It is such a fun, laid-back environment and a wonderful way to get to know members of all different ages and walks of life while learning something new together (or brushing up on old skills!).”

We had a great time with Michaela, but she hit on something important. Skill night has been a great way to meet new people. Grace RPC is growing, and sometimes it’s hard for people to keep up with all the new faces, not to mention their names. This is true not just for those who are already members at Grace but for the new people too.

Doris is a new member at Grace, and she has attended almost every skill night so far. She is a dear woman with a quiet and gentle spirit who has an infectious smile. “As a new member of Grace Church, skill night has allowed me to meet new people, both those teaching the skill and those who attend,” Doris said. “It has been fun learning to make such things as baklava and to decorate cupcakes like a pro. But mostly it’s enjoyable to fellowship with others.”

Skill night has also been a great opportunity for the members of the church to invite people into the church through what we might call the side door. People who might not take an invitation to come to church just might take an invitation to skill night. Once they make friends with people in the church, they might take that invitation to attend worship. It has been exciting to watch people invite those they know from outside the congregation to these nights and see these newcomers enjoy the night along with us.

Through this article, I hope to let you peek in the door and see the fun, fellowship, and learning we have been enjoying at Grace. I also want to encourage you to give it a try. If you are inclined to try a skill night, let me give you some pointers. First, go to your session and let them know that you would like to start a skill night with their support. Be the champion of skill night. Let them know you will organize and promote it.

Second, create a list of possibilities. Ask yourself what you would like to learn. Even better, get someone else involved and work together on a list. Once you have several months planned in advance, start to advertise the event in the congregation. Word will get out, and you will see old and new faces.

There are two logistical points I would make about a skill night. First, be prepared. Go to the church and set up before people arrive. Turn the lights on and be ready to go. Do as much as you can to prepare the teacher so they can step into the building and teach. Second, be simple. The more difficult and tedious the night, the less fun it is for you. Enjoy the time, learn the skill, and talk to the people.

Schedule skill nights regularly. It is a great way for people in the church to fellowship, and it is an excellent evangelistic opportunity.

Tabatha Stivason is Pastor Jeff Stivason’s wife and a mother of two, Nathan (21) and Abby (13). She has been a member of the RPCNA for 20+ years. She enjoys fellowship with her church family and is currently homeschooling Abby.